There are many things in France you can easily get impressed with. One of them is the magnificence of its chateaux (castles), which I believe there are hundreds (or maybe thousands?) of them all over the country - small, grand, public or private. Amazingly, the most impressive ones seem to be concentrated in Val de Loire, around 150 kms south of of Paris, which makes it a perfect weekend getaway for Les Parisiens. It has easily become one of my favorite weekend getaways too. By far, I have visited that valley three times, including the recent two visits in August and September last year, and you may guess it is still counting....
If you happen to travel to France, I strongly recommend to set aside some time for a visit to the valley. The surroundings are very picturesque with many castles along the Loire river (don't mix it up with Loir without an 'e'. The latter is a smaller riverbank nearby).
Here is the top 5 chateaux out of several that I have visited by far in the order of my personal preference. I do not mean to detail the histories behind them. If you are interested in more information, just click on each chateau name, it will take you to its official website.
1. Chateau de Chambord
I think Les Francais would agree with me if I say that this castle definitely stands out to be the most impressive one and, peut-etre le plus grand (the largest) amongst the others. I have visited it twice and never seemed to get enough of its spectacular architecture and its collections. The landscape in the surroundings is simply breathtaking! Be prepared to take zillions of pictures.In some occassions, the chateau is also well-known for its children-friendly events, such puppet shows (les guinols) which are very popular in France.
My first visit to this castle was back in the fall 2002 with some colleagues from a SLB training course. The second time was quite recent with Dita, Nadia and my parents-in-law where we had really a good time pique-niquing with 'nasi campur' as the menu. Oh la la... eating 'nasi campur' overlooking le chateau de Chambord! I think it deserves being in the Guinness Book of World's Records! I don't think this had ever happened before in the history of human life! Ahahaha....
2. Chateau de Versailles
Frankly, I have a vague memory the details of this chateau since my last visit was back in the
Fall 2001. But the sparklingly goldish and colorful interiors still stick to my mind until now. Simply, it's worth all the penny you spend on the entrance. It reflects the luxurious life that was once lived by Louis XVI, the so-called Le Roi Soleil (Sun King). This is why I dare to rank it number two on my list.Another impressive thing I remember about it is its huge, neatly designed and well maintained garden with a couple of fountains and a little lake. In summer, you will find many picque-niquers laying on the green grass. In winter, it is all white, covered with snow. Still a nice view to admire.
One thing for sure, the chateau is not one of those in Val de Loire area. The once kingdom's political capital lies around 20 kms southwest of Paris. If I may give a tip, the best way to avoid the ticket queue at the gate is to purchase the entry tickets at the RER station, instead. Like this, you will save a lot of time, particularly during the peak seasons.
3. Chateau de Chenonceau
It is probably the second largest chateau in Val de Loire. I rank it in the third place, mainly because of two reasons. Firstly, it was uniquely built on the river Cher, hence, the atmosphere and the view are different from the rest. Secondly, the garden is well designed and simply charming.The only drawback we experienced during our visit was that the flow of the visit was not well organized, i.e. it was not so obvious where to go next after one display. Consequently, during the peak seasons, you may see the crowds going in different direction. Very close to a chaos.
Other than that, the green yards outside the chateau gate, next to the parking lots, are used a lot in summer for pique-nique.
4. Chateau de Cheverny
This is one of the privately-owned chateaux in France. One obvious reason why this symmetrical chateau is not to be missed is its amazing interior: the paintings, the furnitures.... Definitely, the best amongst the rest on my list.
Interesting enough, this chateau has inspired the creator of Tintin, Herge, to create the Marlinspike Hall as the home base for Tintin and his friends. Encouraged by this relationship, a permanent Tintin exhibition has been opened for those who like this comical character (comics are very popular in France amongs kids as well as adults).
The lawn outside the chateau resembles a huge green carpet which diligently well maintained. Do not forget to visit its garden where you can enjoy different kinds of vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers. Next to the garden is the kernel of the hunting hounds.
5. Chateau de Fountainebleau
The town of Fountainebleau lies around 65 kms south of Paris which makes it a perfect weekend getaway for the Parisiens. Apart from the chateau itself, the huge forest that surrounds it is another reason for them to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the capital.The chateau, in my opinion, is on par in terms of its Renaissance interior decorations with those of Cheverny. Perhaps, some people would think otherwise. The lawn is vast and remind me of that in Versailles. Hence, if you have limited time in Paris or France and have to choose between the two, my recommendation is go to Versailles instead.
When the weather is nice, you will see people strolling and biking in the forest or just lunching and relaxing in the fine restaurants or cafes in this town. Historically, the forest of Fountainebleau was where the kings used to go for hunting.
And of course, there are a few more amazing chateaux, like Le Clos Luce (the place where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years) in Amboise, or Vaux-de-Compte which I have yet to have a chance to visit.
